Thousands of families can get up to £550 free cash towards school uniforms – are you one of them?
THOUSANDS of families can get up to £550 to help with the cost of school uniforms ahead of the new academic year.
Kitting out your kids for their return to school can be surprisingly costly, but help is at hand for struggling families via the Household Support Fund (HSF).
Cash grants are available to parents with children stepping through the school gates for the first time, up to those starting year 11.
The HSF provides financial help to households struggling with the high cost of living, and has been extended several times since it was first introduced by the Government in 2021.
Funding is given to local councils to distribute to those most in need in their area.
This means the support available varies across the country and what you can get depends on both your circumstances and where you live.
Grants to help with school uniform costs are offered by a number of councils across the UK, with between £15 and £550 up for grabs.
Who is eligible?
Eligibility for HSF cash varies across councils, which decide independently how to distribute the money.
In many areas, you will be eligible for a school uniform grant if your child receives free school meals.
But in other areas, the grants are independently means tested based on household incomes.
It’s highly likely you will be eligible for a grant, if one is offered by your local council, if you receive benefits or extra support via:
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under the Immigration and Asylum Act
- Guaranteed Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credits
- Working Tax Credits
Eligibility for grants varies from council to council, so be sure to check on your local authority’s website.
How much could I be entitled to?
The amount you can get varies dramatically, too.
The London Borough of Greenwich, for example, is offering grants to parents of children going into reception, year 3, year 7 and year 9.
Those going into reception and year 3 could be entitled to £50, while £150 is given to those going into year 7 and £100 to children going into year 9.
To be eligible parents must receive a qualifying benefit and have children enrolled in a council maintained school.
Meanwhile, parents of students transferring from primary school to secondary school in Hackney could be entitled to a £100 grant if they receive qualifying benefits.
The council has advised parents to apply before June 30, to ensure they receive funds before the start of the new school year.
City of London council is offering grants of £60 to primary school parents and £160 to secondary school parents, if they receive qualifying benefits.
A number of other London boroughs also offer support to those in receipt of qualifying benefits.
These include:
- Hammersmith and Fulham (up to £79)
- Haringey (£60)
- Hounslow (up to £60)
- Islington (£150 for those transferring to secondary school)
- Southwark (£45)
- Tower Hamlets (£125)
- Wandsworth (reception starters £40, those transferring to secondary school £160)
Outside of the capital, Medway Council is giving school uniform vouchers of £100 to every eligible school-age child.
The vouchers are available to Medway residents in demonstrable hardship with less than £500 in their bank accounts, and without access to alternative funds.
Runnymede Council in Surrey will support families with up to £350 per household towards school uniform costs.
Eligible households can apply for support through the council’s website.
Waverley Borough Council, also in Surrey, is offering grants of up to £550 towards household costs, including school uniforms.
Any household finding it hard to pay essential household bills or buy essential items can apply through the council’s website, but you will need to provide evidence.
North Northamptonshire Council is also offering vouchers to cover school uniform expenses, as well as other essential back-to-school items.
EXTRA HELP WITH SCHOOL UNIFORM COSTS
IF you can't get targeted help from your council, you might have some other options available to you.
In some areas, you can talk directly to your school, which might be able to offer you clothing.
Or, you might be able to get cheap garments from low-budget shops or charity stores.
Some charities offer help to families in need too.
But bear in mind charities often have a limited amount of money to give and usually have specific criteria which must be met in order to get a grant.
Charity Turn2Us has a free grants search tool on its website which you can use to find out what help is available to you.
Meanwhile, you can always try approaching your nearest Citizens’ Advice branch.
If you don’t know where your nearest Citizens’ Advice branch is, you can find out by visiting www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/nearby/.
If you’re not eligible for a school uniform grant you might be able to get help through the Household Support Fund.
Meanwhile, Reading Borough Council has given funding to voluntary and community sector organisations to support residents from low-income households with school uniform costs.
And Bolton Council in Greater Manchester if offering help with school uniform costs for parents receiving qualifying benefits, for children in year 7 or year 9.
Those with children in year 7 could receive £30, while those with year 9 pupils could receive £25.
Cumberland Council is offering grants of £50 for primary school pupils and £100 for secondary school pupils.
Parents will be eligible for a grant if their children receive or are eligible for free school meals.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council offers grants of £40 to support school uniform costs for pupils moving from primary to secondary school, if parents receive qualifying benefits.
Applications can be made online, with payments being distributed now.
North Lincolnshire council offers £20 to the parents of primary school children and £30 to secondary school students.
Parents will be eligible for the grant if their children receive free school meals.
Nottingham City Council offers £15 grants to the parents of children in reception, year 1 and year 11, £20 to those in year 4, £40 to those going into year 7 and £30 for those in year 9.
Parents receiving qualifying benefits could be eligible for the grant, but those with children attending academies or free schools will not be awarded the funding.
Sandwell Council has said there will be grants available for the coming school year, but details have yet to be released. Applications will open on July 24.
Westmorland and Furness council in Cumbria is also offering grants to parents of children who receive free school meals.
Parents of school age children in England may automatically receive grants if their children are eligible for free school meals, but many councils require separate applications to be completed.
Be sure to check your local authority’s website to see if you need to make an application.
What about outside England?
In Wales, all parents meeting eligibility criteria can apply for grants of £125, or £200 for those whose children are moving from primary to secondary school, via their local councils. Details can be found on the government’s website.
In Scotland councils distribute grants of at least £120 per child for primary school pupils and £150 per child for secondary school pupils to eligible parents. Details can be found on the government’s website.
In Northern Ireland parents of primary school pupils could be eligible for £42.90, with £87.60 available for secondary pupils under the age of 15 on August 1 2024 and £93.60 for pupils over 15 years of age on August 1 2024. Details can be found on the government’s website.
Payments made to parents by councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not made from HSF funding, which is only awarded to councils in England.
What is the Household Support Fund?
The Household Support Fund (HSF) was first introduced in October 2021 and has been extended five times, to September 2024.
The latest round of funding is worth £421million to councils in England.
Who qualifies and the level of support given is a postcode lottery, as each local authority can set its own criteria for distributing the funds.
However, if you have a limited amount of money or savings in the bank, are classed as vulnerable or are on benefits, you will likely qualify for help.
How can I find out what support is on offer?
The support provided varies from council to council, so its worth checking the schemes your local council has in place to make sure you receive all the assistance available.
For example, in Hertfordshire funds have also been made available to support households on low incomes facing immediate financial crisis, provide help with energy costs and support food banks.
You can find what council area you fall under by using the Government’s council locator tool on its website.
You don’t need to worry about additional support impacting existing benefits, as these will be unaffected by payments from the HSF.
And, you do not need necessarily need to be in receipt of benefits to receive vouchers or funds from the HSF.
How do you apply?
To get the help, you’ll need to check with your council.
Information on how to apply for the funding should be published on your council’s website. Each council will have a different application process.
If there’s no information on your council’s website, then it’s best to ring them up and ask for more information.
What help is available for parents?
CHILDCARE can be a costly business. Here is how you can get help.
- 30 hours free childcare – Parents of three and four-year-olds can apply for 30 hours free childcare a week.
To qualify you must usually work at least 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year. - Tax credits – For children under 20, some families can get help with childcare costs.
- Childcare vouchers – If your employer offers childcare vouchers you can get up to £55 a week in tax and national insurance savings.
You pay for your childcare before your tax contributions are taken out.
This scheme is open to new joiners until October 4, 2018, when it is planned that tax-free childcare will replace the vouchers. - Tax-free childcare – Available to working families and the self-employed, for every £8 you put in the government will add an extra £2.
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